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Xandra Morris slumped back into the metal frame chair across from Max in Logan Cale's apartment. She struggled to keep her eyes open. She hadn't slept for two days, and now these people wanted her to explain herself. But wasn't that why she was here? To find them, to maybe know someone like her, someone that had lived through it all. She stopped thinking about it, and let out a tired sigh as Logan wheeled himself into the room, stopping in front of the office table.
"So?" he asked, staring expectantly at her. Xandra snapped out of her daze, "Oh. Yeah," she began, "Well, about two years after they created X5, the Manticore scientists started at another base. In Arizona, I think. I don't think anyone knew about it. Except for Lydecker and a few of his co-conspirators." "So what happened?" Max asked curiously. "Well, after your group escaped, they started training all of us separately. I guess they thought it would prevent us from escaping or something like that." Xandra replied flatly, looking downward. "Were there any others?" Logan asked her. "I don't know. There might have been. If there were, I was the only one of us that got out of there." Xandra explained, lifting her gaze from the floor. "Is there anything different about your group?" he asked her. "Like what?" Xandra asked Logan. "Seizures. Max and the other Manticores get them." Logan explained. "I don't. Haven't yet, I guess they fixed that when they engineered us." She said.
"Why didn't you try to find the rest of us?" Max asked, raising her eyebrows. "Too dangerous. If anyone was looking for me, they could trace all of that back to you guys and get you too. It was easier to search for someone like Logan. Even if they found something like that, they wouldn't be able to trace him to knowledge of Manticore and to you guys. At least not as easily." Xandra replied flatly. Max and Logan exchanged glances. This girl was smart. It was no surprise that she'd been able to elude Lydecker and the rest of his colleagues for as long as she had. But then again, she'd only escaped three years ago.
The rusted apartment door swung open, and a young guy, a little older than Max stormed in. His blond hair hung to the tops of his ears, and he was at least half a foot taller than Xandra was. There was an open gash across his cheek. "Oh my god Zack, what happened?" Max asked, shocked. "I'm okay," Zack replied, "had a nasty run-in with a car. I'm okay though, it wasn't bad." He obviously was hurt, but was too stubborn to let them help him. "Who's that?" he asked, pointing to Xandra. Everyone exchanged looks, "This is Xandra. She's another Manticore. Apparently they had a completely different lab stationed across the country a couple years after they created X5." Logan explained, glaring at Zack. Zack made a face, and looked back up at Xandra. She ran her fingers through her long, straight blond hair, and locked her piercing blue eyes onto his. Zack somehow managed to smile. Max and Logan exchanged confused glances; Zack had barely smiled since they had met him.
"I should go." Xandra said, sliding on her silver jacket and making her way towards the door of the apartment. "Wait," Logan said, raising his voice, "do you have anywhere to stay?" "Yeah. Some old apartments or something where the center used to be. I gotta walk back, though." She said matter-of-factly. "I know that place," Zack stated, "It's dangerous." She stared at him surprised, as he followed her out the apartment door. No one had offered to help her since she had gotten out of Manticore, and she wasn't used to anyone being civil towards her, especially if they knew who she really was.
Xandra and Zack stood in front of the beaten-up metal door to the abandoned apartments where Xandra lived. She pushed open the heavy door and cautiously made her way up the curling stairway; unaware that Zack was right behind her. It wasn't something that she had expected. Once they reached the top of the stairway, she turned into a long corridor, searching for her door number: 528. She stuck the small, silver key into the hole, turned it, and threw the door open. It was only when she turned around to close it, that she realized that Zack was still there. "What?" she asked him suspiciously. "Just making sure that you'd be safe. Alone. It's dangerous for people like us." He said, seeming a little agitated. "We're soldiers, right Zack? I can take care of myself." Xandra said, a sly smile crossing her face. She closed the apartment door. Zack leaned back against the wall next to the closed door of apartment 528. Wow, he thought, a girl after my own heart.
Xandra Morris slumped back into the metal frame chair across from Max in Logan Cale's apartment. She struggled to keep her eyes open. She hadn't slept for two days, and now these people wanted her to explain herself. But wasn't that why she was here? To find them, to maybe know someone like her, someone that had lived through it all. She stopped thinking about it, and let out a tired sigh as Logan wheeled himself into the room, stopping in front of the office table.
"So?" he asked, staring expectantly at her. Xandra snapped out of her daze, "Oh. Yeah," she began, "Well, about two years after they created X5, the Manticore scientists started at another base. In Arizona, I think. I don't think anyone knew about it. Except for Lydecker and a few of his co-conspirators." "So what happened?" Max asked curiously. "Well, after your group escaped, they started training all of us separately. I guess they thought it would prevent us from escaping or something like that." Xandra replied flatly, looking downward. "Were there any others?" Logan asked her. "I don't know. There might have been. If there were, I was the only one of us that got out of there." Xandra explained, lifting her gaze from the floor. "Is there anything different about your group?" he asked her. "Like what?" Xandra asked Logan. "Seizures. Max and the other Manticores get them." Logan explained. "I don't. Haven't yet, I guess they fixed that when they engineered us." She said.
"Why didn't you try to find the rest of us?" Max asked, raising her eyebrows. "Too dangerous. If anyone was looking for me, they could trace all of that back to you guys and get you too. It was easier to search for someone like Logan. Even if they found something like that, they wouldn't be able to trace him to knowledge of Manticore and to you guys. At least not as easily." Xandra replied flatly. Max and Logan exchanged glances. This girl was smart. It was no surprise that she'd been able to elude Lydecker and the rest of his colleagues for as long as she had. But then again, she'd only escaped three years ago.
The rusted apartment door swung open, and a young guy, a little older than Max stormed in. His blond hair hung to the tops of his ears, and he was at least half a foot taller than Xandra was. There was an open gash across his cheek. "Oh my god Zack, what happened?" Max asked, shocked. "I'm okay," Zack replied, "had a nasty run-in with a car. I'm okay though, it wasn't bad." He obviously was hurt, but was too stubborn to let them help him. "Who's that?" he asked, pointing to Xandra. Everyone exchanged looks, "This is Xandra. She's another Manticore. Apparently they had a completely different lab stationed across the country a couple years after they created X5." Logan explained, glaring at Zack. Zack made a face, and looked back up at Xandra. She ran her fingers through her long, straight blond hair, and locked her piercing blue eyes onto his. Zack somehow managed to smile. Max and Logan exchanged confused glances; Zack had barely smiled since they had met him.
"I should go." Xandra said, sliding on her silver jacket and making her way towards the door of the apartment. "Wait," Logan said, raising his voice, "do you have anywhere to stay?" "Yeah. Some old apartments or something where the center used to be. I gotta walk back, though." She said matter-of-factly. "I know that place," Zack stated, "It's dangerous." She stared at him surprised, as he followed her out the apartment door. No one had offered to help her since she had gotten out of Manticore, and she wasn't used to anyone being civil towards her, especially if they knew who she really was.
Xandra and Zack stood in front of the beaten-up metal door to the abandoned apartments where Xandra lived. She pushed open the heavy door and cautiously made her way up the curling stairway; unaware that Zack was right behind her. It wasn't something that she had expected. Once they reached the top of the stairway, she turned into a long corridor, searching for her door number: 528. She stuck the small, silver key into the hole, turned it, and threw the door open. It was only when she turned around to close it, that she realized that Zack was still there. "What?" she asked him suspiciously. "Just making sure that you'd be safe. Alone. It's dangerous for people like us." He said, seeming a little agitated. "We're soldiers, right Zack? I can take care of myself." Xandra said, a sly smile crossing her face. She closed the apartment door. Zack leaned back against the wall next to the closed door of apartment 528. Wow, he thought, a girl after my own heart.